Sandro Tonali insists Milan had ‘no alternative’ but to win away to Dinamo Zagreb and will take the same approach against RB Salzburg to secure their Champions League progress.
The Rossoneri knew they needed a win in Zagreb, especially after Chelsea did them a favour with a 2-1 victory away to RB Salzburg.
They achieved it 4-0 thanks to Matteo Gabbia’s diving header, a Rafael Leao solo run, Olivier Giroud penalty – for a foul on Tonali – and Ljubicic own goal created by Leao.
That means they are in second place behind Chelsea and a draw against RB Salzburg at San Siro will be enough to secure passage to the Champions League knockouts.
“We had prepared this game in only one way and that was to win. There was no alternative,” Tonali told Milan TV after picking up his UEFA Man of the Match award.
“We knew it was difficult here and they were unbeaten at home this season, but it’s a wonderful atmosphere to play football in. We realised that we had to keep the ball and get that breakthrough as soon as possible.”
It was a great response after the two defeats to Chelsea, showing Milan do still have a Champions League pedigree.
“We knew that we were strong. We’d already beaten Dinamo at home and knew them well. When you have only one objective for a match, it is difficult to get it wrong, and we were focused from the very first minutes. We must continue like this with the same determination and desire to win.
“We could’ve had more goals this evening too, it was a positive performance from everyone.”
Coach Stefano Pioli warned against going into the final match with Salzburg believing a draw would suffice, as that is the wrong mentality at this level.
“It won’t be easy, but we must play to win, that is all we want to do,” added Tonali.
“Fortunately, we’ll be playing at San Siro and with the help of our fans.”